They all do group dining and might be within budget range - as to prices, of course no one lists packages on their websites because they probably want to try and upsell you on the phone. At a lower end, if none of those work, is El Maguey y la Tuna - cheaper than the above, homestyle Mexican, might have some good unlimited beer / margarita pitcher options.

If the crowd is willing to go to Brooklyn, and pizza (but really, really good pizza) is something you'd consider, you might want to check out the group dining at Roberta's in Bushwick. It might come v-e-r-y close to the edge of your budget, but they do have unlimited beer options.

I don't know if they do big groups, but Pig & Khao on the LES could be fun. I know they have a $15 unlimited PBR deal, which is about as cheap for unlimited drinks as you'll find. They also have a backyard if the weather's nice, but I suppose there's no way to predict that this far in advance.

What about brunch? That would open up the options significantly, and brunches often come with unlimited mimosas or bloody marys built into the deal.

I was making calls not long ago about a group and was surprised at how reasonable a private party at terroir was- they do a buffet along the bar of apps for the duration of the event and would shut the whole place down for you! Email the really helpful contact at the e village location if you're interestedhttp://restauranthearth.com/terrior/H...